How to check your voter registration, apply for mail-in and absentee ballots | Kulick
It’s that time of year or even more correctly, ‘tis the season. Election season, to be exact. Fair warning, this column is filled with information about voting. Thanks go out to the Monroe County Office of Elections and Voter Registration for providing me with good information to share and perhaps even clarify for voters.
First, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5, and polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Clearing up a misconception that Pennsylvania has “early voting” — not the case. “Early voting” is when a ballot is cast and counted prior to Election Day. In Pennsylvania, absentee and mail-in ballots are counted on Election Day. This count in Monroe County begins at 7 a.m. on Election Day.
Voters are welcome and encouraged to apply for their absentee/mail-in ballots now. You will need a mail-in ballot application. This form is available at your voter registration office. In order to apply for a mail-in ballot, you must supply your Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT-issued photo ID card number in the identification section. If you do not have a Pa. driver’s license or PennDOT-issued photo ID, you must supply the last four digits of your Social Security number.
If you do not have a valid form of either of these types of identification, please check the box titled “I do not have a PA driver’s license, a PennDOT ID card or a Social Security number” in the identification section. If this option is chosen, then a photocopy of an acceptable ID must be enclosed with the form.
Once the application is completed, you may return it to your local county board of elections. If you are unsure of where to mail your application, visit www.vote.pa.gov/county for more information. Deadline alert: The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. on the Tuesday BEFORE the election (Oct. 29). The application must be RECEIVED in the county board of elections office by that time. Postmarks DO NOT count.
The office noted that voters may receive a number of blank absentee/mail-in applications from various voter groups or campaigns. Should you want an absentee/mail-in ballot, only fill out one application per election. You can call your county election office to check on your voter record to see if you have already applied, or visit pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx.
Monroe County hopes to have mail-in ballots mailed out by the beginning of October. Recent legal challenges have held up earlier mailing. Also, the office must wait until they have a certified candidate listing from the Department of State prior to creating the ballot and testing it. If for some reason you may be leaving the area and you are unsure of whether ballots will be ready prior to your departure, please call your county election office to determine the best course of action.
By some chance if you decide that you no longer wish to receive a mail ballot for the upcoming election and wish to cancel your request, a Request to Cancel My Ballot form must be filled out. If you are a permanent or annual voter, and you are requesting that your permanent status be canceled and it should apply for any upcoming elections, this form also needs to be completed and submitted. A permanent or annual mail-in voter is someone who requested to receive a mail-in ballot automatically for every election for which they are eligible in that year. Once this is canceled, it may be renewed at a future date if requested.
If you have received a mail-in ballot and have returned your voted ballot by the deadline, you may not vote at your polling place on Election Day. If you are unable to return your voted mail-in ballot by the deadline, you may only vote a provisional ballot at your polling place on Election Day, unless you surrender your mail-in ballot and the return envelope containing the Voter’s Declaration to the judge of elections to be voided to vote by regular ballot.
Finally, the deadline to return your completed ballot is 8 p.m. on Election Day. Your ballot MUST BE RECEIVED by the county board of elections by that time. Postmarks do not count. Also, ballot boxes placed in libraries (in Monroe County) are available according to the library’s regularly scheduled hours only.
Election office addresses for both Monroe and Pike County are as follows: Monroe: One Quaker Plaza, Room 105, Stroudsburg, Pa. Phone: 570-517-3165. In Pike County: 506 Broad Street, Milford, Pa. Phone 570-296-3427. For general Pennsylvania information: 1-877-VOTESPA.
As promised, there was a lot to learn and know right here!
Debbie Kulick is an EMT who writes a weekly news column for the Pocono Record.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: What to know about voting in Pennsylvania in 2024 | Kulick
